Karl Marx (1818-1883) was a 19th century German philosopher, economist, historian, and sociologist. His philosophy was strongly influenced by Georg Hegel and a radical group called the Young Hegelians. Marx was a historical materialist. He believed that history is affected by material changes. He also influenced many people such as Luxemberg, Stalin, and Castro. Marx also took a special interest in politics and he is often considered the "father of communism."
Biography:
Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1818 in Trier, Germany. His family was originally Jewish. However, they converted to Christianity so that his father could become a lawyer with Prussia's anit-Jewish laws. At the age of 17, he enrolled in the University of Bonn to study law. Marx was more interested in philosophy and literature, but his father wouldn't allow that. One year later, Marx's father forced him to transfer to Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitat in Berlin. It was there that he started writing poems and essays concerning life. In 1841, he earned his doctorate with a thesis titled The Difference Between the Democritean Epicurean Philosophy Nature.
Marx had a wife named Jenny von Westphalen. In London, they lived in poverty during the first half of the 1850s. They already had four kids and three more were to follow. Only three of the seven kids survived to adulthood. They inherited money from one of Jenny's uncles and her mother. They then moved to a nicer area called Kentish Town in London in 1856. Most of the time the family was living hand-to-mouth.
He developed a catarrh after his wife died in 1881. Eventually, that lead to the bronchitis and pleurisy that caused his death. He died a stateless person on March 14, 1883. He was buried in Highgate Cemetery, London with the words "WORKERS OF ALL LANDS UNITE" carved on his tombstone. That was the final line of The Communist Manifesto. Even to this day Marx's legacy remains.
Major Works:
The Communist Manifesto (1848)
The Difference Between the Democritean and Epicurean Philosophy of Nature (1841)
The Poverty of Philosophy (1847)
The German Ideology (1846)
Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy (1859)
Philosophy:
Marx was mainly influenced by Georg Hegel. Hegel said that the force that drives history forward is called world spirit or world reason. However, Marx thought the complete opposite. He wished to show that the material changes are the ones that affect history. That's why he was called a historical materialist.
He believed that the basis of society was the material, economics, and social relations. The superstructure of a society was the way a society thinks, what kind of of political institutions there are, which laws it has, and not least, what there is of religion, morals, art, philosophy, and science. Marx thought that in a society the material relations support everything in the way of thoughts and ideas. Marx was a dialectical materialist because he realized that there was an interactive relation between bases and superstructure.
Marx had three levels of society: the conditions of production, the means of production, and the mode of production. The conditions of production is the most basic level. It just means the natural resources that are available to a society. This is the foundation of a society that determines the type of production in the society. The next level would be the means of production. This would be the society's kinds of equipment, tools, machinery, and the raw materials that could be found there. The last level would be the mode of production. That means which political and ideological conditions are to be found there. Marx believed that history is principally a matter of who is to own the means of production.
Marx was very interested in a transition from a capitalist economy to a communist economy. He believed that there was always a war between two dominant classes of society. In Marx's own time he believed it was a war between the capitalists and the workers. He didn't believe that it was fair that someone could own a private property and decide how much to pay their workers. He believed that this was why some people lived in poverty. If the government owned and controlled everything then there wouldn't be poverty. That's why he believed that a communist economy should replace the capitalist economy. He could be considered the "father of communism." He influenced other communist leaders such as Fidel Castro and Joseph Stalin.
Quotes:
"Greek philosophy seems to have met with something with which a good tragedy is not supposed to meet, namely, a dull ending."
"History does nothing; it does not possess immense riches, it does not fight battles. It is men, real, living, who do all this."
"Natural science will in time incorporate into itself the science of man, just as the science of man will incorporate into itself natural science: there will be one science."
"The theory of Communism may be summed up in one sentence: Abolish all private property."
"Sell a man a fish, he eats for a day, teach a man how to fish, you ruin a wonderful business opportunity."
Introduction:
Karl Marx (1818-1883) was a 19th century German philosopher, economist, historian, and sociologist. His philosophy was strongly influenced by Georg Hegel and a radical group called the Young Hegelians. Marx was a historical materialist. He believed that history is affected by material changes. He also influenced many people such as Luxemberg, Stalin, and Castro. Marx also took a special interest in politics and he is often considered the "father of communism."
Biography:
Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1818 in Trier, Germany. His family was originally Jewish. However, they converted to Christianity so that his father could become a lawyer with Prussia's anit-Jewish laws. At the age of 17, he enrolled in the University of Bonn to study law. Marx was more interested in philosophy and literature, but his father wouldn't allow that. One year later, Marx's father forced him to transfer to Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitat in Berlin. It was there that he started writing poems and essays concerning life. In 1841, he earned his doctorate with a thesis titled The Difference Between the Democritean Epicurean Philosophy Nature.
Marx had a wife named Jenny von Westphalen. In London, they lived in poverty during the first half of the 1850s. They already had four kids and three more were to follow. Only three of the seven kids survived to adulthood. They inherited money from one of Jenny's uncles and her mother. They then moved to a nicer area called Kentish Town in London in 1856. Most of the time the family was living hand-to-mouth.
He developed a catarrh after his wife died in 1881. Eventually, that lead to the bronchitis and pleurisy that caused his death. He died a stateless person on March 14, 1883. He was buried in Highgate Cemetery, London with the words "WORKERS OF ALL LANDS UNITE" carved on his tombstone. That was the final line of The Communist Manifesto. Even to this day Marx's legacy remains.
Major Works:
Philosophy:
Marx was mainly influenced by Georg Hegel. Hegel said that the force that drives history forward is called world spirit or world reason. However, Marx thought the complete opposite. He wished to show that the material changes are the ones that affect history. That's why he was called a historical materialist.
He believed that the basis of society was the material, economics, and social relations. The superstructure of a society was the way a society thinks, what kind of of political institutions there are, which laws it has, and not least, what there is of religion, morals, art, philosophy, and science. Marx thought that in a society the material relations support everything in the way of thoughts and ideas. Marx was a dialectical materialist because he realized that there was an interactive relation between bases and superstructure.
Marx had three levels of society: the conditions of production, the means of production, and the mode of production. The conditions of production is the most basic level. It just means the natural resources that are available to a society. This is the foundation of a society that determines the type of production in the society. The next level would be the means of production. This would be the society's kinds of equipment, tools, machinery, and the raw materials that could be found there. The last level would be the mode of production. That means which political and ideological conditions are to be found there. Marx believed that history is principally a matter of who is to own the means of production.
Marx was very interested in a transition from a capitalist economy to a communist economy. He believed that there was always a war between two dominant classes of society. In Marx's own time he believed it was a war between the capitalists and the workers. He didn't believe that it was fair that someone could own a private property and decide how much to pay their workers. He believed that this was why some people lived in poverty. If the government owned and controlled everything then there wouldn't be poverty. That's why he believed that a communist economy should replace the capitalist economy. He could be considered the "father of communism." He influenced other communist leaders such as Fidel Castro and Joseph Stalin.
Quotes:
Bibliography: